Cape Cod National Seashore
Managed by National Park Service
10,629 acres71.1 mi of trail
Old King's HighwayOld Kings HighwayOvergrownSmall's Swamp Trail+1
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Truro Highlands Historic District · Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Truro
More than half of Truro’s land is conserved: 77%
77% of Truro’s land is conserved, about 10,321 acres. 8,808 acres are parks and preserves, 5,157 per 1,000 residents. 78 miles of mapped trail cross Truro, 3.7 per square mile of land.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
77%
10,321 acres · of 21.0 sq mi of land
Trails
78 mi
3.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
8,808 ac
5,157 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
13 mi
5.4 mi lanes · 2.5 mi paths
Highest peak
135 ft
The Highlands
Lakes & rivers
11
26 beaches · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Truro?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Truro have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Truro is among the top 1% of U.S. towns. All four inputs put Truro near the top nationally; conserved land ranks highest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Truro’s overall grade.
Conserved land77% of the land · typical MA town 21% · U.S. 4%A+Trails3.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (78 mi) · MA 1.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land5,157 acres of park per 1,000 residents (8,808 acres) · MA 91 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · MA 93% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
Massachusetts towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 21%; the U.S., 4%), so Truro’s 77% is ahead of 100% of Massachusetts towns, while its trails per square mile lead 86% of them.
Water is 20% of Truro’s area (5 of 26 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 62%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Cape Cod National Seashore, with 71.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pamet Marsh
Nature preserve
19 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Lewis Farm Cr
Nature preserve
12 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 12 parks & preserves
Cape Cod National Seashore10,629 acres · 71.1 mi of trail · National Park Service
DirectionsHigh Head78 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
DirectionsPamet Marsh19 acres
Lewis Farm Cr12 acres
Salt Marsh9 acres
Parker Marsh8 acres
Snows Field5 acres
Hogsback Cr4 acres
Fisher Beach Cr1 acres
Cronin Beach1 acres
Castle Road Cr1 acres
Harbor Flats1 acres
Who protects it
10,321 conserved acres
77% of Truro’s land. Water is left out: Truro has 21.0 square miles of land and 5.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Truro’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
National Park Service9,778 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits125 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land72 ac
Town or city55 ac
Joint9 ac
Not recorded431 ac
National Lakeshore or Seashore · 9,705 acConservation Easement · 312 acPrivate Conservation · 238 acLocal Other or Unknown · 112 acWatershed Protection Area · 63 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 173 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 30 of 159 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Cod National Seashore National Lakeshore or Seashore | National Park Service | 9,710 | Open |
| Truro Conservation Trust Private Conservation | Not recorded | 121 | Open |
| Little Island Meadow Conservation Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 58 | Open |
| South Hollow Wellfield Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 29 | Unknown |
| Truro/Provincetown Water Supply Area Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 29 | Unknown |
| Conservation Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 27 | Open |
| Cape Cod Land Bank Acquisition Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 27 | Open |
| Cronin Property Conservation Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 26 | Open |
| Pamet Marsh Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 18 | Open |
| Harbor Flats Private Conservation | Not recorded | 13 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
48 places to go in Truro
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Truro
Ballston BeachIn Cape Cod National Seashore
DirectionsBrush ValleyIn Cape Cod National Seashore
DirectionsFisher Beach
DirectionsHighland BeachIn Cape Cod National Seashore
DirectionsLongnook BeachIn Cape Cod National Seashore
DirectionsRyder Beach
DirectionsPlus 20 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Public pools in Truro
1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Truro
1 playground without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Truro
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Truro
Bearberry Hill (East Summit)In Cape Cod National Seashore
DirectionsBearberry Hill (West Summit)In Cape Cod National Seashore
DirectionsHighland Center OverlookIn Cape Cod National Seashore
DirectionsHighland Light BoardwalkIn Cape Cod National Seashore
DirectionsHighland Light OverlookIn Cape Cod National Seashore
DirectionsPlus 6 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Truro
The Highlands135 ft elevation · In Cape Cod National Seashore
DirectionsGreen Hill125 ft elevation · In Cape Cod National Seashore
DirectionsCorn Hill112 ft elevation
DirectionsPeters Hill112 ft elevation
DirectionsSmalls Hill112 ft elevation · In Cape Cod National Seashore
DirectionsTom Hill69 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Truro
Horton's CampgroundIn Cape Cod National Seashore · Adventure Bound Camping Resort
DirectionsNorth of Highland Camping AreaIn Cape Cod National Seashore
DirectionsTrails & water
11 named trails and 11 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 24.7 miHorses · 2.2 miUnpaved · 20.6 mi
Old King's Highway1.8 mi
Old Kings Highway1.7 mi
Overgrown0.6 mi
Small's Swamp Trail0.5 mi
Pilgrim Spring Trail0.5 mi
Twine Field Trail0.4 mi
Pamet Point Exit0.4 mi
Pamet Cranberry Bog Trail0.4 mi
Thatcher Boulevard0.2 mi
Diana’s Trail0.1 mi
1 more trails
Wilson Boulevard
0.1 miBiking & sports
13 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
2.5 mi
off-road bike paths
5.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
7Tennis
3Basketball
2Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →9 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Highland HouseBuilding · listed 1975
About itJedediah Higgins HouseStructure · listed 1984
About itHighland Light StationStructure · listed 1987
About itUnion HallBuilding · listed 1997
About itTruro Highlands Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2011
About itOld North CemeterySite · listed 2013
About itPine Grove CemeterySite · listed 2013
About itCobb Memorial LibraryBuilding · listed 2013
About itFirst Congregational Parish Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2014
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Truro: May to September
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 38 | 39 | 44 | 54 | 63 | 71 | 78 | 77 | 71 | 61 | 52 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 4.0 | 3.3 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.7 |
July is the driest month (2.5 in) and the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 4.7 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Truro →
Next door
Truro and its neighbors
Truro has the second most mapped trails of the 3 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Truro | 77% | 3.7 | 5,157 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Provincetown | 100% | 3.6 | 1,429 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Wellfleet | 60% | 5.0 | 1,262 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Truro
Where can I hike in Truro?
The longest trail networks: Cape Cod National Seashore, 71.1 miles; High Head, 1.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Truro is conserved land?
77% of its land, against a typical 21% for a Massachusetts town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Truro’s trails?
Cape Cod National Seashore and High Head don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Truro?
13 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.4 of painted or protected lanes, 2.5 of off-road paths and 5.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Truro?
28,302 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Truro or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 8,834 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Truro have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Truro neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →